Trust In Me
by KatieRaexx
Summary: Dr. Facilier has returned under mysterious circumstances, attempting a task the spirits have given him in order to gain his real life back. When one of Tiana's waitresses is a part of that task, life in New Orleans becomes a bit dangerous.
1. Chapter 1

**Trust In Me**

**Author's Note: **I don't own anything having to do with the Princess and the Frog…though I'd like to own Facilier. Anyway. I own Lakota. That's it.

* * *

_Trust in me**  
Just**__ in me__  
Close your eyes  
And trust in me…_

_

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_

Lakota had been working at Tiana's Palace long enough now to know the usual customers. It wasn't hard to be friendly on good days, but Lakota had her days where it was indeed difficult to do her job. There was no way the owners hadn't noticed, but even if they had, Tiana and Naveen had never said anything to the girl. Having just moved to New Orleans from "Somewhere in New York", as Lakota's answer depicted, they didn't bug her about her odd ways. Even though Tiana and Naveen suspected she was _not_ from New York.

The girl with the bright violet hues was a bit different from the other patrons of New Orleans, of this there was no doubt. She had long black hair that fell to her shoulder blades, her eyes had a distinct sparkle, and she had a habit of dressing for comfort over appearance (although appearance would suit her wonderfully). She'd always been different, for as long as Lakota could remember, and not just in her attitude and clothing choice. When conversations of childhood came up, Lakota fell silent. The woman nearing twenty-two had absolutely no recognition of her early years, and she opted to stay out of such conversations.

She blamed it on a bad memory…an abnormally bad memory.

After all, what could she do about it, anyway?

Her shift was coming to a quick end that evening. The customers filed out, Tiana and Naveen bid them goodnight, and Lakota looked to the clock on the wall. The restaurant would officially be closing in twenty minutes. With that knowledge, she began her nightly cleaning routine. However, the gasps from both Tiana and Naveen made her stop dead and turn around.

Standing in the doorway was a tall man in a purple suit. The owners seemed angry and upset by his presence, and as he spoke to them, Lakota grew increasingly concerned for her kind bosses. After a particularly rude comment from Naveen, though, the tall man tipped his hat and smoothly left. Tiana appeared far more upset than Naveen, and as he comforted her, Lakota was left to stare. She was dumbfounded when Naveen locked the door and cut off the 'OPEN' sign, ushering Tiana into the back.

Lakota frowned, hoping Tiana was alright, and after a few moments, she picked up the rag she'd been cleaning with and followed the two to the back.

"Who was that? Are you two alright?" She asked, highly concerned when she saw Tiana wiping away tears.

"It is…a very difficult story, Miss. Vaughn." Naveen said, never looking at her as he spoke, but focusing completely on Tiana. "Perhaps you should leave with us this evening, yes? I believe it would be best."

"Why?" Lakota set the rag down and took a step toward them, waiting on Naveen's answer. However, his answer did not come, Tiana's did.

"That's the Shadowman." She said shakily, quietly. "He can't be here. There ain't no way. It's like Naveen said…long story girlie. Long story."

Lakota frowned, nodding a bit. She'd heard of the Shadowman, but she'd also heard he died.

But…this _was_ New Orleans, after all.

* * *

Tiana and Naveen had taken Lakota home that evening, assuring her that it would be safer that way. They'd also arranged for the other employees to go home together, just for safety precautions. All the precautions were worrying Lakota sick and she was pretty scared to just get out of the car and walk up to her townhouse. But, she did, waving goodbye to Tiana and Naveen as they drove away, and walking inside. She'd made it a point to thank them for their generosity, too.

However, Tiana and Naveen had grown quiet watching her walk inside. Tiana was quiet because of the events of the night, but Naveen had noticed something strange. He frowned a bit, leaning back against the seat as their driver drove them back to the stately mansion he'd purchased for them.

"Tiana, dear, did you notice something funny about Lakota this evening?" He asked, looking over to his wife. Tiana looked up and shook her head, furrowing her brows.

"No, what do you mean? I didn't notice nothin'..." Tiana said, wringing her hands, her thoughts obviously still hung up on the Shadowman.

"...uh...my love, Lakota does not have a shadow."

* * *

It was dark, as always. She'd sworn she'd remembered to cut a light on before she left…

"I ain't one to really be sayin' much about conserving energy, but don't you pull a nine hour shift, darlin'?"

Lakota jumped and whirled around to see the man who had been at the restaurant a few hours prior. The same exact man that Tiana and Naveen wouldn't let enter…they man they called the Shadowman.

"Why are you here?!" She demanded, reaching for the nearest large, dangerous object: a vase.

The man held up his hands in defense, standing from the chair he'd been seated in, stepping toward her. "Now, now…just calm down 'lil lady. I ain't here to hurt you, cross my heart." He made the X motion over where his heart _should_ have been, and Lakota kept staring.

"That's not the answer I asked for." She said coldly. He snickered a bit, nodding.

"Well now, it wouldn't be, would it? Listen, sugar, I'm here to talk to you about somethin' important," He said. They both stood their ground.

"You should be dead."

"_Should_ be, lovely."

"But…you're not."

"Obviously. That's beside the point I need to make."

"Make your point, then!"

He grinned, and a shudder ran down Lakota's spine.

"Darlin'…you ain't human."

* * *

Woo! Cliffhanger! I wrote this up before typing it up. Proud of myself. Anyway…can anyone guess what Lakota is? It's probably obvious.

Music I Listened To While Writing:

"Trust In Me" Selena Gomez

"Monster" Lady GaGa

"Sinner" Drowning Pool


	2. Chapter 2

**Trust In Me**

Chapter One

* * *

_Slip into silent slumber_

_Sail on a silver mist._

_Slowly and surely_

_Your senses will cease to resist._

Lakota awoke with a start. Her alarm was going off and bright sunlight was seeping through the cracks in her blinds. A dream…had all that really just been a dream? The normally cool, collected, and sometimes sarcastic woman sat up in her bed and rubbed her upper arms. Well, it might have made sense if it were a dream…She'd been entirely too concerned for her own good about the man that had upset Tiana and Naveen—then again. He was kind of creepy…and had he been in her townhouse? No. No. It was all a dream. The raven-haired waitress reached over and cut off her screeching alarm, the thought slipping into her mind that she didn't even remember going to bed the night before. Maybe it was some kind of disease, her awful memory. Maybe it was high time she saw a doctor for it.

Shaking her head, she reached over and cut on the radio on her alarm, clapping twice so the light would cut on (clappers, aren't they amazing?). Smiling a bit, she swung her legs off the bed and shook her hair out of her face, tapping her fingertips on the side of the bed to the music. It was a carefree way to start the day, and it usually left her no time to worry about what she didn't remember from the night before. Hell, she wasn't even a drinker and she had memory problems…Smirking a bit at the funny though, she literally hopped off the bed and practically danced her way to the closet, completely missing the small, purple business card that fell off the top of her sheets and scuttled underneath her bed.

She swung open her closet doors and tossed an outfit out onto the edge of her bed, making her way to the bathroom and singing quietly (her voice was too weak to sing _that_ early) to the music blaring from her alarm clock.

In the middle of brushing her teeth, she heard the phone ring, and she peered out of the bathroom at it, as if the sound startled her. She hurried around the corner and with her free hand, picked up the phone and called a "Hang on a minute!" into the receiver, setting it down and hearing her friend's laughter on the other end. Once she spit and rinsed out her mouth, Lakota picked the phone back up.

"MaryAnn, MaryAnn!" She said, laughing a bit. "What are you doing calling this early? I'm not used to you being out of bed before noon." She joked, walking over to bed, shedding her pajamas as she walked.

"He-ey, 'Kota. How are you feeling this morning?" MaryAnn asked, her voice having a genuinely concerned tone to it. Lakota furrowed her brows.

"Whaddya mean?" She asked, tugging on some skinny jeans, but pausing mid shimmy as what her friend said sunk in. "I'm fine. Why…wouldn't I be fine?

"Tiana called me last night and aid you…well…pretty much passed out at work. I took you home and was mumbling all kinds of nonsense. I didn't leave 'til you fell asleep, then I told Mr. Mitchell to keep an ear out for you next door. I would have stayed, but you know I gotta be home for Andy." MaryAnn spoke of her husband, and Lakota nodded, although her friend couldn't see her doing so.

That was the last straw…was she insane?

"Ugh…I'm pretty convinced I have the worst memory out of anyone in New Orleans." Lakota said, albeit not jokingly, buttoning and zipping up her pants. MaryAnn laughed though, and Lakota gave a weak one.

"You just might be, but I wouldn't bet on it." MaryAnn replied.

The phone conversation didn't last much longer, and once it was over Lakota finished dressing and grabbed her house keys, her over the shoulder black bag, and took off out the door. Whatever she needed was in that bag, it always stayed there. It was like her own personal home away from home, in a way. She had errands to run that morning, so she knew she'd need it. She hoped that she remembered correctly that there was $150 dollars cash in it.

As far as Lakota's memory served her, she moved to New Orleans from New York for a better life and more interesting opportunities. She was plagued with vague memories of being an aspiring artist, a painter, who couldn't make it in the Big Apple, so decided to take her chances in the Big Easy. Here, it was easy to sell a painting on the sidewalk, but it didn't pay your bills. That was where working at Tiana's Palace came into play. The fact, however, that Lakota couldn't always remember her reasoning for things she did, or things from her past bugged her. She'd never, ever visited a doctor, but was more than convinced it was time to do so now. Maybe she'd been dropped on her head a child.

…not that she remembered that either. And her parents were dead. Lot of good they'd do her.

As she rounded the corner, music filled her ears. That was another things about New Orleans, it was impossible to be worried there…about anything! The jazz that filled the streets made her happy, she would have loved to jump in and toss in a few lyrics, but the boys were doing fine on their own, so she kept walking.

A strong wind took Lakota by surprise, and what surprised her even more was where the wind came from. Holding onto the fashionable hat she'd adorned for the day, she looked down the alleyway where the wind came from. It was a little dark, but just lit up enough to make her think there were stores back there. New Orleans was weird like that, if you didn't look in every nook and cranny, sometimes, you missed things.

So, taking a few glances up and down the street, she entered the alleyway, humming to the jazz music that had been playing. There didn't appear to be anything much in there…except…

"…Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium…" She read aloud, raising a brow. "Well. I can't say that's the most inviting sign I've ever seen for a doctor."

_Although I need to see one. Just not a Voodoo doctor._

It was probably some kind of trick shop, magic shop. Some bullshit place where she'd waste an hour and twenty bucks. She needed that twenty bucks for paints, for if her memory served her correctly, she had the night off, and planned to do some painting for extra cash. Turning her back, she began to head out of the alleyway again, when the wind blew her hat off her head, and sent it reeling into the sky.

"Shit!" She cursed, turning and going to grab it, but as she took those few quick steps she ran into someone, and stumbled back. "Damn it, I'm sorry. I was chasing my…" Her hat was held out to her, and Lakota's violet hues met another's violet hues in front of her. This man…the same man…the Shadowman. "…hat."

"No chasin' needed, I caught it for you." He said smoothly, handing it to her. Lakota took it, dusting it off a bit, and giving a quick laugh.

"Well, that's…that's real nice of you, sir, but you see, I just took a wrong turn. I'm thinking I should go back out there, and finish up my errands, you know? Since, I got a lot of them…I think I do, at least…I…had errands…"

"C'mon now, chere, ain't no errands that can't wait for a quick fortune tellin', don't you agree?" He asked, and Lakota paused again. Something was telling her no, but something else was pushing her to go into the emporium with him. That she would get answers for a lot of things there. The conflicting feelings in the pit of her stomach made her feel queasy, and she wondered, again, if the previous night's events really had been a dream…but they had to have been! MaryAnn explained to her what really happened!

…or was what MaryAnn said the lie?

"It's on the house." The man said, smirking down at Lakota. "No purchase necessary, just step into my office," A sarcastic phrase, but he swung back the arm that held his cane, and the door behind him opened.

No…no…_**no**__._

"Those errands you had to run seem like trivial things now, don't they?" The question rang in her mind pretty clearly. They did. The errands didn't seem all that important, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud. Lakota stood her ground, although she was pretty sure her insides were shaking so much that she had to be physically shaking as well. "A woman like you don't need to run no errands. Well, not the normal errands a woman who looked like you would run, at least." He laughed a bit, and it made her even more nervous.

"…I really have to go—"

"No, you don't."

"…no. I don't."

* * *

Another cliffhanger. I think I'm going to keep using these to piss you guys off.

Someone mentioned the Mary Sue thing (Haha, MaryAnn. Yes. Did it purposefully) so I hope I fixed that problem. I actually wrote most of this during work…said it was homework. Haha. The only problem I have is Lakota can't get too much depth until the story progresses…but she's getting there. I promise. In fact…she's going to undergo a serious change in the next chapter. Oodles of fun await you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

**Trust In Me**

**

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**

Chapter Two.

_If you wanna play it like a game_

_Well c'mon, c'mon._

_Let's play._

It wasn't so much a helpless feeling as it was a strange one. Lakota knew what she was saying as she spoke to the Shadowman, but it was almost as if…well, not even. It _was_ her forming the words…but they just didn't fit. The inside of the emporium didn't look much different from any other weird shop in New Orleans, but as she followed him inside, she couldn't help but feel like it was _extremely_ different…

"I s'pose it might be polite of me to introduce myself—" The man started, but she interrupted him.

"Dr. Facilier."

"You have a better memory than you give yourself credit for, chere."

"No. Your name is above the entrance."

There was a moment of awkward silence, as if her comment had embarrassed him rather badly. "Well, of course it is." He laughed a bit, shaking his head. "Why don't you have a seat?" One of the chairs at his table pulled out on its own, and he grinned. "I promised you a fortune telling, now, didn't I?"

Lakota supposed if she had good sense, she would have left the place immediately. But there again was that strange, familiar feeling, and instead of leaving, she sat down. The chair was pushed in, and out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn she saw a shadow dart back to Dr. Facilier, but she was probably just imagining it.

In a split second, he was across from her, seizing her hand and turning it palm up, pretending to look at the lines intently. "You know," He started, smirking that devilish smirk. "I ain't got to read your palm to know all about you."

His words unnerved her, but she couldn't find any of her own.

"You have a bad memory. Now, I don't mean the occasional forgotten appointment, either. I mean ya barely remember a week ago. You ain't never been to a doctor for it," Another sinister look. "'Til now. And I'm 'gon tell you exactly why you don't remember much of anything."

She sat up a bit, he had her interest. Maybe this would work out in her favor. Maybe…

"You ain't human."

The words rang like a church bell in her head. Loud and clear, painstakingly clear. They were familiar. She'd heard them before. He was laughing now, and she pulled her hand back from him, standing up.

"Familiar?" He asked. "Of course _that's_ gonna jog your memory. I told you that last night."

"Last night was a _dream_," She snapped. Dr. Facilier laughed again, a bit more loudly. A bit more sinisterly.

"_Was it_ now?"

"Of course it was!!" She nearly yelled, taking a step back from the table. "MaryAnn wouldn't have—"

Dr. Facilier waved a hand in front of him, and a purple mist created a small scene. The scene that played out was stranger than anything Lakota had ever seen. Her friend was speaking to her on the phone, then when they hung up…MaryAnn was nothing more than a shadow on the wall.

"MaryAnn wouldn't have what?" He repeated, looking up at Lakota as she watched the moving pictures.

"You're psycho. What are you trying to—"

"Do you ever notice your own shadow?"

"Do I what?!"

"Do you ever notice…you own shadow?" He spaced out the words on purpose, eyes following her like a hawk's. He was carefully studying her reaction, like he was waiting on her to realize something.

"I…" Lakota glanced down, and made a face at her discovery. She, indeed, had no shadow. "I don't get it. What…how could I miss something like that?"

"Pretty easily, darlin'. Shadows ain't something you normally worry about, are they? Now…what shoes you're gonna wear and how your hair is gonna look, that's a different story." He said sarcastically, leaning back in his chair a bit.

"Alright, Facilier. If I don't have a shadow, where is—"

In another split second, the wind was knocked out of her, and all she could make out was the Shadowman's laughter…

* * *

It felt like forever when she finally came to. She wasn't in her apartment, but the dominant part of Lakota's mind didn't care any longer. She remembered the conversation with Facilier, word for word, and she remembered a whole bunch of other things now, too.

Much more…

"Has it really been almost…two hundred years?"

A whoop of joy was heard. "Aha!! They're gonna be real pleased with me. I'm gonna get that _real_ second chance!!"

"Ugh. Calm yourself." Lakota sat up in the bed she was in, looking around. She appeared to be in a room of some short, perhaps his room above the shop, where he lived. That would make sense. Scoffing, she thought to herself for a moment.

From what she could piece together…yes. She had been a shadow. One of the shadows sent out to retrieve Prince Naveen when Lawrence let him escape. For years, Lakota watched Dr. Facilier's feeble attempts to gather souls with the other spirits, and laughed at him when he failed, every time owing something else to them. But in the bayou that night, when Mama Odie hit them with beams of light, it was a spell that sent a few of the shadows reeling. Three of them had become human, with no real recollection of what they were. Lakota was one of them, and also the last shadow Facilier had been granted to find. The spirits told him if he succeeded, he could have his life back—permanently.

Extending her arm, Lakota was pleased to see she had her shadow back…but why did she still have her human body? Maybe that question would be saved for later, because she couldn't complain. There was much more that could get done this way…"I don't think you played your…aheh…_cards_ right." She purred, grinning and standing, stretching her limbs. "Do you really think the spirits are going to give you what you want? I mean, come _on_, after everything you screwed up? If I were the hierarchy, I would use you to fix what was messed up and then screw you over like you screwed us over. Pa-lease. You're a pathetic excuse for a witch doctor."

"…I liked you a lot better, missy, when you didn't know what you were." He snapped, standing and walking over to the window in the room, glancing down to the streets. "But they're gonna keep their promise, yes they are. You just wait. Soon as I get that extra soul…and you're gonna help me," He said, turning and pointing at her. Lakota raised a brow, sitting on the edge of his bed and watching him.

"Who says?"

"I say."

"And who are you to say?"

"Just, stop it!" He was frustrated with her. Good. That made her grin. It was her turn to drive him insane.

"Y'know. I have you to thank for reminding me that I am simply a lucky 'friend from the other side'." She mocked, and he made a face.

"Yeah, yeah…"


End file.
